Monocots vs. Dicots Monocot seeds include grasses, such as corn and rye, and grains such as wheat...

Monocots vs. Dicots• Monocot seeds include grasses, such as

corn and rye, and grains such as wheat and rice.

• A monocot seed contains one cotyledon, or seed leaf, in its embryo.

• Food storing tissue called endosperm surrounds the embryo.

• When the seed sprouts, the cotyledon stays below ground to absorb nutrients and transport those nutrients to the seedling.

All grasses are Monocots

Dicots

• Include beans, peanuts, apples, and just about every tree and garden vegetable.

• Inside are two cotyledons (seed leaves)

• These cotyledons absorb and store food from the endosperm before the seed sprouts. Once the seed sprouts, the two cotyledons emerge from the soil

Beans and Peas are Dicots

Roots

• Monocots- have fibrous roots that spread and branch out

• Dicots usually have one long, thick root called a taproot. Small secondary roots grow outward from the taproot.

Stems

• Stems contain vascular tubes that carry food downward (phloem) and water and minerals upward (xylem) in the plant.

• Monocots- These tubes are scattered throughout the stems in no particular pattern.

• Dicots- These tubes are arranged in a ring around the center of the stem.

Leaves

• Leaves of monocots have parallel veins.

• Leaves of dicots have veins that form branching patterns.

Flowers

• Monocots- Flower parts are in multiples of three. Lilies for example have three petals, three sepals, and six stamens.

• Dicots- Usually in multiples of 2, 4, or 5.